The Callihan Life
by TwoTonedSlaying
Summary: Set in the same universe as "The Hounds of High School," Sam Johnston has been ordered to complete rehab after the discovery of his drug use. However, the rehabilitation facility is nothing more than smoke and mirrors. Will Sami survive his stay, or will the rumored past of the facility come to fruition?
1. Prologue

A Letter to the readers from Andrew (TwoTonedSlaying):

THIS IS A WARNING! The following story may contain spoilers for _The Hounds of High School_. If you have not yet read up to Chapter 30 of _The Hounds of High School_ , please **STOP** here and read that first. The following story contains information that might need further explanation.

* * *

 _Prologue_

 _Following the discovering of his substance abuse, Jonathan Good (Jon) had taken his friend Sam Johnston (Sami) to their school's medical clinic in hopes of trying to find some help._

 _Set in the Universe of The Hounds of High School, this story will follow the almost 2 month stay of Sami in a drug rehabilitation clinic. With nearly no contact to the world he already knew, all Sami has is a journal his father has entrusted him with. Sami documents his stay in the rehabilitation facility, meeting new, and "interesting" people along the way_

 _His emotional state stays stable as he remembers this crucial words from Jon:_

 _"_ _Never stop fighting. Through punches. Bite. Claw. Life is about keeping you down. Don't let it do that to you. Fight back. Make life your slave. Not the other way around."_

 _Welcome to Tranquil Rehabilitation Center; Your well-being is our mission._

* * *

 _Fight Fight Fight! Claw Claw Claw! Sami Johnston is on the ball!_

 _-Sam Johnston_


	2. Chapter 1: Welcome to Tranquil

_Wednesday, November 14_ _th_

 _I don't wanna go to this place. It's scary. I know I need the help, but I really can't do this. Dad gave me this journal and I don't even know if it will help. I hate this. I really do. I miss Jon, and Howard and mom and dad. I don't wanna go to this fucking place. I'm not as screwed up as them._ _Life just sucks right now.. Jon was helping but now.. I don't even know._

 _Just get me away from here_

Tuesday, November 13th. A day that would be etched in the mind of Sam Johnston forever. The day he and his friend Jonathan Good fought. The day he and his friend cried. The day he and his friend visited their school's clinic. It was more than just an ordinary, run of the mill day. It was the day Sami came to terms with his drug abuse. That day, Sami received the help he needed. It burned him to think of what he succumbed to.

 _"_ _What is it that you've been addicted to and how long?"_

 _"_ _It's mainly meth… I did coke… but I stopped!"_

 _"_ _Sami, is there anything else?"_

 _"_ _Don't say it like that Jon! I… yeah…"_

Sami slapped himself awake, "Fuck!" He was on a bus headed for a rehabilitation center downtown by the pier. He looked all around, and it was filled with people who had his same problem, some even worse. He hated it. Coming to terms with his sickness made him feel even worse. To him, he felt better when has doing drugs. It made him feel better safer. It was a way of telling himself that he did not have a problem. He hit his lap with the journal he had. It just angered him even more, "I don't have a problem. I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm. Just. Fine." A head popped up in front of Sami, and the person turned around to face him.

"Are you OK? I hear slapping and I thought you were hitting the person behind you."

"What's it to you?" Sami snapped.

"You seem angry. Don't wanna go, huh?" Sami twiddled with his thumbs and looked down at his feet, "No… I don't have a problem." he snapped again.

"Lighten up, kid. It ain't that bad. What's your name?"

Sami was in no mood to have a conversation with anyone. He was angry and tired and missed the life he knew. He was going to be as detestable as he possibly could, no matter who he offended or what he did to offend them.

"Sami." He said flipping the stranger off. The stranger just smiled at him, "Drake." Sami just looked at the man with disgust, "Drake… rhymes with snake. So you're a slimy, sneaky bastard." Drake just looked at the disgruntled young man, "You're a troubled kid. You need some balance in your life." Sami turned away shyly, "No I don't. I told you I'm perfectly fine"

"I find that hard to believe. Any kid your size and age being on this bus definitely needs some guidance. If you need someone to talk to while we're there, you can always talk to me." Sami looked at the ground with such confusion. Could he have been contemplating the positive aspects of staying at the rehabilitation center? He looked back up at Drake, this time, with less of an abrasive attitude, "So, what are you here for?"

"Small stuff. Got hooked on weed and pills for a while. First step in getting better is admitting you have a problem." Sami just looked around. It was a statement that was just thrown around most of the time, but it somehow made sense. Up until this point, he had been denying the fact that he was ill. Maybe it was time for him to suck everything up and realize that needed the help.

"What about you, kid?" Drake asked.

"Um, meth… mostly…" No matter how aggressive he may have been at times, deep down, Sami was shy and timid. A side he had to hide from the public.

"Whoa… heavy stuff. Glad you're here. You don't want that stuff following you into later life." Sami twiddled his thumbs and realized what was wrong with him. He was lonely. He used the drugs to escape reality. A stern father who was in the military and a mother who was lackluster in her job conflicted him at times, "Yeah… me too…" Sami stared out the window, passing buildings and cars in similar fashion. What awaited him at the facility? He was scared. Lonely. Depressed. The expectations were set low. Nothing could satisfy his need for happiness and this point.

A short 2 hours later, bordering the outskirts of town, the bus pulled into a complex of buildings and fields. Sami read the inscription on the stone in front of the location:

 _TRANQUIL DRUG REHABILITATION FACILITY AND RECREATION CENTER_

 _YOUR WELL-BEING IS OUR MISSION_

"Tranquil meh meh meh…" Sami just mumbled to himself. The bus passed by the fields, where he saw people playing football and chatting under the shade of the tree. The leaves on the ground were being picked up by workers. As the bus finished its curve around a fountain, it stopped by the front doors of main building. Sami looked at the building with a blank stare. Nothing but bad thoughts were racing through his mind. The doors to the bus opened up and a woman in blue was waiting for the group to exit.

"Come on, champ. Not gonna stay in that seat forever, right?"

Sami looked at Drake and sighed. What did he have to lose? He stood up and followed the grunge-looking man out of the vehicle. The group of addicts stood in a line in front of the lady. Sami stood at the very end with his hood over his head and his hands in his pockets.

"Hello, Ladies and Gentlemen. Allow me to be the first to introduce you to your new home. Here at Tranquil, our main priority is to make sure you are treated like one of our own. Together we will rehabilitate and improve you and your lifestyle choices. Now if you all follow me in one uniform fashion, we will head into the lobby where we will all get to know each other a lot better."

The group walked in one straight line, mumbling quietly to themselves. There was Sami, in the very back of the group, hood over his head, looking down. As he walked, the painful memories of his first day of high school haunted him. As he lifted his head up, he envisioned his first school. The doors were heavy and dark blue. The people he were surrounded by were nothing but judgmental. Everywhere he turned, he felt like he was being judged. A feeling he knew all too well. He snapped out of his flashback as he entered the lobby to the rehabilitation center.

The lobby was pristine. A couple of shrubs and trees were placed around the large area with an arrangement of couches, armchairs and benches. As the group filed into the lobby, the lady spoke again.

"Alright everyone. We just need to make sure we have all of your names. We'll do a simple roll call. When you hear your name, please just come up to the front desk. In the meantime, our wonderful workers here will assist you in any way possible. Make some friends, and relax yourselves."

While the group scattered around the lobby, names began to be called one by one. Some individuals were sitting on couches, others in armchairs. There were little chit chats here and there, but nothing major. Sami situated himself away from the crowd. He hated the idea of being near people he did not even know. As he sat hugging his knees, he buried his face in and thought about where he had ended up and how he had gotten here. He was beginning to miss his friends and family. What if he would have never taken the drugs in the first place? What if he would have been nicer to Jon and his friends? He had so many questions to ask himself. Sometimes, his simple answer had to do with taking his own life. But he knew he could fight against this. He had to be strong.

"Um, hi." A voice called out to Sami. He quickly picked up his head and saw a very pretty girl with medium black hair. She had a glowing smile, and wore a shirt with the emblem of the center on it. Obviously she was a worker, but that did not stop Sami from being intrigued to know more, or to simply shove her away.

"You're sitting here all alone. You don't wanna be with everyone else?" Sami just looked at her with his chin balanced on his knees. "Mind if I sit?" the girl asked. Sami once again stared at her without saying a word. She sat down in front of him and really wanted to get to know him, "What's your name?" Sami responded with the same blank stare. The girl was beginning to wonder if she should have spoken to him. She twiddled her thumbs and looked at his body language. It was cold and stiff.

"Don't wanna be here, huh?" Sami nodded slightly at her question. "I understand. Hey, that doesn't mean this place is gonna be so bad. You might actually enjoy it."

Sami lifted his head up a little and took off his hood, finally uttering his words, "Easy for you to say."

The girl's eyes widened at the sound of his voice. Sami's awkwardly raspy and deep voice was somewhat remarkable. It was like talking to a man with a thousand tales. She giggled a little, "I guess that's because I work here. But trust me, it is really nice. Just gotta get used to it at first." Sami returned a slight smile, "What's your name, cutie?"

"Sam. Sam Johnston."

"Sam?"

"But everyone calls me Sami."

"Alrighty. Nice to meet you, Sami. I'm Melissa. Melissa Rayne." She extended her hand out to shake Sami's, but he backed away slightly. He was still uncomfortable with human contact, especially when it came to strangers. Melissa giggled and reassured Sami, "Come on, I won't bite." Sami stared at her and slowly began to reach his hand out. With a light grip, he shook her hand. Just then, a girl called for Melissa.

"Melissa! What are you doing?"

"Talking to the newest patients, this is-."

"I don't care who he is! You are needed up front sorting the materials and rooms for them! Stop fooling around and get back to work already!"

Melissa stood up quickly and rushed to the front of the room while the other girl watched.

"That wasn't nice," Sami said, "I was getting to know her."

"Well, best you stay away from her. I keep her in check. She has a history here."

Sami cocked his head to the side, "A history?"

"Don't believe a word she says. You can only trust so many people here." The girl began to walk away, but not before Sami spoke up one last time, "Wait, who are you?"

"Ciara Grace." The girl turned around and winked at Sami before walking away.

Sami was starting to wonder what he had gotten himself into. Drugs had run his life and now he was in a situation that he did not want to partake in. But what else could he do but stay and face the facts. He was sick. He did need help. This was the only place he was going to get it. What did he have left to lose? He had already lost everything.

"Sam Johnston?"

It was time to face the music. He had a name, but he felt like a number. He was a person, but felt like a statistic. Tranquil was the last word on Sami's mind.

 **A/N: Welcome to Tranquil. I Hope You Enjoy Your Stay. Here, you are Family. Here, You Are Safe...**


End file.
